Certain refrigerator appliances include a dispensing assembly for dispensing ice and/or liquid water. Such dispensing assemblies generally include an actuator, such as a button or paddle, or a sensor, such as an optical or ultrasonic sensor, for initiating a flow of ice and/or liquid water into a dispenser recess of the dispensing assembly. By pressing the actuator or triggering the sensor, a user can initiate the flow of ice and/or liquid water into a container, such as a cup or pitcher, positioned within the dispenser recess.
Certain dispensing assemblies having sensors also include features for automatically filling the container with ice and/or liquid water. The sensor can monitor a level of ice and/or liquid water within the container, and the dispensing assembly can terminate the flow of ice and/or liquid water into the container when the container is full or at a predetermined level. For such auto-fill features to operate properly, the sensor measures the container and its contents accurately and precisely. In particular, sensors measure various parameters of the container in order to automatically fill the container with ice and/or liquid water. Such parameters can include an alignment of the container, a location of a container lip, a location of a container bottom, and a height of liquid water and/or ice within the container relative to the container lip or container bottom.
Sensors can have difficulty accurately and precisely measuring such parameters. In particular, containers have a multitude of sizes and shapes, and accurately and precisely measuring such parameters across such a spectrum of containers can be difficult. In turn, such difficulty can lead to user frustration and dissatisfaction because the automatic fill process may not operate properly due to unacceptable measurements from the sensor.
Accordingly, methods for facilitating automatic filling of a container with ice and/or liquid water would be useful. In particular, methods for assisting a user with properly operating a dispenser of a refrigerator appliance during automatic filling of a container with ice and/or liquid water would be useful.